Kati
by Kati Freedman
Summary: A look at Kati Freedman's life before her crazy, tumultuous years.
1. Chapter 1

"It's junior high, Charlotte. Not Siberia," Addison Montgomery says, eyeing her friend.

"Yes, thank you, I'm aware," Charlotte replies sarcastically.

Charlotte tosses the patient file she's carrying onto her desk and walks around it to sit in her chair. She rubs her forehead tiredly.

Addison watches her, feeling slightly guilty.

"It _is _kind of mind-blowing," she offers as Charlotte sits down. "Seems like only yesterday she was in diapers. Reading already, but still. In diapers."

Charlotte manages a soft, reminiscent smile.

"Yeah," she agrees.

"Where is the little genius today?" Addison asks, coming to sit across from Charlotte.

"Cooper took her and Jamie shopping for school," Charlotte replies.

A laugh of disbelief escapes Addison's throat.

"Cooper? And those two? In a _mall_?"

Charlotte joins her chuckling.

"That'll teach him to go behind the Chief of Staff's back," she says.

"When did he go behind your back?" Addison frowns.

"You know, last month. That patient of his that had the crazy mother."

"Oh," Addison remembers. "I forgot about that. So this was his punishment?"

Charlotte gives her a look.

"It's genius, actually," Addison ponders. "You make it look so easy, but even I can't manage those two together for very long."

"Kati's not the driving force behind that whirlwind," Charlotte replies.

Addison tilts her head. "Come on, Charlotte. Kati may be amazing and wonderful, but that kid has a brain for pranks. She can hold her own next to Jamie."

Charlotte raises an eyebrow, choosing to ignore the comment.

"Does Kati know about…" Addison asks.

"Nope," Charlotte replies, giving her a conspiratorial grin. "No idea."

"She's going to flip," Addison replies, grinning.

Cooper Freedman trudges to the front door of the house as his daughter Kati and her best friend Jamie race ahead of him, laden down with bags of clothes. He rubs his eyes with an exhausted sigh.

"Hey honey," his wife appears in the foyer, grinning.

He looks at her and she laughs at his puppy-dog eyes.

"I am so, so sorry," he says. "And I'll never mess with Charlotte King, Chief of Staff, ever again."

Charlotte laughs and the two of them head into the living room, where Cooper flops onto the couch.

"What's the damage?" she asks, as Kati and Jamie giggle from upstairs.

"To me, or to our bank account?" Cooper replies.

"Both."

"I, will never be the same again. Our bank account fears for our daughter's love of clothes."

Charlotte grins, looking proud.

"She's got an eye for fashion, I'll give her that," she says.

"Three hours," Cooper says between his hands, covering his face. "Three hours of clothes and that mall and so many people. How do you do it?"

Charlotte shrugs. "They listen to me."

"Everybody listens to you," Cooper retorts dryly.

Charlotte just smiles.

They're interrupted by Kati and Jamie as they burst into the living room.

"Well? What do you think?" Kati asks, referring to her outfit.

Kati is gorgeous, with her father's thick dark hair, tousled into loose curls, and her mother's large green eyes. She's skinny, like a typical 12-year-old, but manages to choose clothes that don't accentuate her thin frame.

Charlotte grins, reaching out to grab her daughter's hand and pull her onto her lap.

"I think you look beautiful," Charlotte says, hugging her.

"And?" Jamie asks meaningfully.

Charlotte releases Kati, who rolls off of her.

"And you look beautiful too, Jamie," Charlotte tells her.

Jamie smiles happily.

"What did you two do to your daddy?" Charlotte looks at Kati.

Charlotte watches as the eyes that match her own crinkle into a mischievous grin.

"Took him to Victoria's Secret," Kati replies, turning a cartwheel in the middle of the room.

Charlotte looks at her husband, who shakes his head, as though remembering a bad dream.

"I told you we'd go on Saturday," Charlotte gives Kati a look.

"Well we couldn't exactly pass up the opportunity to watch Cooper squirm and turn beet-red," Jamie answers.

"I didn't buy anything," Kati adds.

Charlotte laughs, rubbing her husband's back.

"You two," she says, shaking her head.

Kati turns another cartwheel and Jamie attempts one at the same time, causing the two to crash into each other and fall to the floor in a fit of giggles.

Charlotte, shaking her head, stands up.

"Don't forget, we've gotta go pick up Violet from the airport," she says.

In perfect timing, a knock sounds on the front door.

Charlotte goes to answer it, revealing Jamie's father George.

"Come on in, George," she says, moving aside.

"Daddy!" Jamie cries, running over and pummelling into him.

"Hi baby," he smiles. "How'd the shopping go? Do you still have a college fund?"

"Depends if you mean UCLA, or a community college in Hollywood," Jamie replies.

George rolls his eyes and Jamie races off the get her stuff.

"Cooper still alive?"

"Barely," comes Cooper's reply from the living room.

"Well, thanks buddy," George replies. "I owe you one."

Charlotte smiles as Kati comes around the corner.

"Hey George," she says, as her mother wraps an arm around her. "Any good clients lately?"

"Mmm, nothing to write home about. I'll keep you posted," he promises.

Kati nods and Jamie returns, bearing her numerous shopping bags.

"Good lord, Jamie," George says, taking some of the bags from her.

"I know, Father," Jamie replies, pulling on her jacket. "You've raised such a well-dressed, fashionable child."

George rolls his eyes.

"Thanks again, Charlotte," he says. "Cooper."

Cooper raises a hand from the couch, where's he's still laid out.

After George and Jamie leave, the three Freedmans pile into one of the SUVs in the driveway and head out.

"I thought Pete was picking Violet up?" Kati asks from the back seat.

"He was supposed to," Charlotte replies.

Kati doesn't ask anymore questions, choosing to busy herself with a book for the drive. She only looks up when they're nearing their destination.

"Your version of an airport is…interesting, Mom," Kati says, looking around. They're in a small neighbourhood on the outskirts of town, where houses sit on expanses of land that could almost be acreages.

"It was a lie!" Cooper grins, turning from the driver's seat to stare at her wildly. "It was all a _lie_!"

Kati makes a face at him. "You look delirious," comes her dry reply.

"You're about to be," he replies, smiling at her.

They hop out of the car and look around. A woman opens the front door of the house and steps out.

"You must be the Freedmans," she says.

"That's us," Cooper nods, stepping forward to shake the woman's hand. "Cooper. This is my wife Charlotte, and our daughter Kati."

They shake the woman's hand.

"Karen," she says. "Well come on in."

Kati looks to her mother, but Charlotte just gestures towards the door, so Kati follows Karen inside.

The front room is full of little figurines and pictures of dogs. English bulldogs. Kati looks around curiously. She loves English bulldogs.

She follows Karen into the next room, and there on the floor is a little kiddie pool with a blanket in it. Her eyes widen with glee as she takes in the five bulldog puppies playing inside it.

She turns to stare at her parents, who are both grinning.

"Seriously?" she says, still not smiling because she's so shocked.

"Any one you want," Cooper replies.

Kati turns back to the puppies and sinks to her knees. Three of the puppies are making crying noises, chewing on each other and trying to escape their little area. One puppy, bigger than the others, is sitting off to the side, watching. And another one, smaller, is beside him, watching his brothers curiously.

"Except this one," Karen says, touching the bigger puppy. "I sold him this morning."

But Kati is staring at the little one. He sees her and kind of tilts his head at her, so she reaches out to him. Slowly, he moves forward to sniff her. Gently, Kati picks him up and sets him on her lap.

The smile on her face is making her glow, and her parents smile just watching her.

The little puppy looks up, directly at her.

"This one," Kati says softly.

"That's the one?" Cooper asks.

Kati looks up at her parents, beaming, and nods.

"Are you sure? He's the runt of the litter. He won't get as big as the others," Karen says.

"He's perfect," Kati replies, stilling cuddling him.

Cooper takes out his check book while Charlotte kneels down beside her daughter.

"What do you think?" she asks.

Kati looks at her mother for a moment, her happiness evident.

"How long have you guys had this planned?"

"A few months," Charlotte shrugs.

Kati is barely paying attention as she pets the puppy and he settles into her lap.

Cooper finishes up with the paperwork and then the Freedmans are back in the car, heading home.

"Little guy's gonna need a name," Cooper says, glancing at Kati through the rearview mirror. "Any ideas?"

"Something English," Kati replies thoughtfully. "Gotta keep to his heritage."

"What, like Winston?"

"No way," Kati replies. "Too obvious."

"Bane?" Cooper suggests hopefully.

Kati smiles, rolling her eyes. "That's not British, and I'm not naming him after a Batman character. Nerd."

After a few moments, the puppy looks up at Kati and then lies on her lap, snuggling in to sleep.

"Nigel," Kati says softly.

The puppy opens his eyes and looks at before sleepily closing them again.

"Nigel it is," Charlotte says, smiling at her daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

"What?" Jamie shrieks over the phone. "A _puppy_?"

"Yeah," Kati laughs, as she plays with the puppy on the carpet. "He's the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life."

"I'm coming over," Jamie replies. "I have to meet him."

The line clicks and Kati hangs up. She watches as Nigel tries to play with the toys they bought him on the way home. At only five pounds, he's a little too small for most of them. And a lot too uncoordinated.

"Bathroom break," Cooper announces, getting up from the couch.

He and Kati take Nigel outside.

"You look like Christmas came early," Cooper says, watching his daughter stare at the puppy.

She turns her bright smile onto him. "Christmas can't beat this."

He wraps an arm around her and presses a kiss onto her forehead.

"Thanks, Daddy," she says, looking up at him. "I love him."

Cooper smiles, feeling like the look on her face is thanks enough.

"You're welcome, honey," he replies.

* * *

The next day Kati brings Nigel with her to the practice. Cooper and Charlotte have to work all day, and Kati usually spends the day hanging out with the other doctors, who are all like family.

Addison, Violet, and Sam all come into Charlotte's office to see Nigel.

"What a little butterball," Sam grins, watching Nigel.

"He is really cute," Violet admits. She's not a dog lover, or a pet lover, but she smiles at the puppy.

"Eee, I just wanna squeeze him!" Addison squeals, picking him up.

"Well be careful," Kati advises. "Dad did that this morning and Nigel peed all over him."

They laugh and Addison's face melts. "Nigel? Oh my god, that's the cutest!"

"He looks like a Nigel," Sam nods.

They look up as Naomi starts to enter the office. She sees Sam and stops, the smile leaving her face.

"I'll just-"

"No," Sam interrupts. "You stay. I have a patient."

He leaves and everyone waits for the tension to dispel.

"Jeez, are you guys still not talking?" Cooper asks.

"No, we're talking," Naomi replies, sitting on the couch beside Addison. "We're just not getting back together."

She starts to fawn over the puppy but everyone stops and stares at her in surprise.

"What?" Addison finally says.

Naomi looks up from petting Nigel.

"What?" she says, even though she knows.

"What do you mean, _what_?" Addison stares. "How can you not get back together?"

"Simple," Naomi replies. "We get divorced and don't live together anymore."

"_What_!" Addison's voice goes higher.

Naomi rolls her eyes and looks at her best friend.

"What? What do you want me to say?"

Addison, open-mouthed, looks from Naomi to everyone else, and back again.

Wordlessly, Naomi picks up Nigel, gives him back to Kati, kisses Kati's forehead, and drags Addison from the room.

After a moment of silence, the rest of them look at each other.

"Sam and Naomi, divorced?" Cooper says, his forehead creased.

"Well it's none of our business," Charlotte says, all business. "And we have patients."

She kisses Kati and then bustles Cooper out of the office along with her, leaving Violet and Kati.

"Jeez," Kati says quietly. "Are they actually getting divorced?"

"Looks like it," Violet replies gently.

"I guess there's a lot more to relationships than what people see from the outside," Kati says.

Violet looks at her and smiles. "You're such an old soul, you know that?"

"So I hear," Kati sighs, stretching out on her stomach.

Violet rubs her back for a minute. "You gonna be okay in here?"

"Mm hmm," Kati replies, watching Nigel.

"Alright," Violet gets up. "I'll see you after my patients. Oh, and our new psychiatrist starts today!"

"Yeah, that's what Mom said," Kati replies. "What time?"

"I think he's coming right after lunch," Violet smiles, reaching the door. "Or before...I can't remember. I think you'll like him."

* * *

Kati spends the morning in her mother's office, playing with Nigel until he falls asleep and then busying herself with a book. Sam comes in right before lunch.

"How's the little pork chop?" he grins.

Kati tilts her head but grins. "He's sleeping."

Sam comes over and sits on the couch beside Nigel, who's fast asleep.

"He's cute, I'll give you that," Sam says, petting the puppy.

Kati rolls onto her stomach so she can see, smiling at him.

"I had a dog when I was growing up," he says, a bit nostalgic. "A Golden Lab. His name was Doc."

"Seriously?" Kati grins.

Sam chuckles.

"Yep. My dad gave him to me when I was eight."

Kati chews her lip. She knows Sam's dad took off, abandoning his family when Sam was almost nine.

"Why don't you get a dog now?"

Sam shrugs. "Hours can be a bit unpredictable, y'know?"

"Sure," Kati shrugs. "But there'd always be someone to watch him for you. And he and Nigel could be buds!"

Sam laughs, and the door opens.

"Come have some lunch, baby," Charlotte says, poking her head inside. "Let the little beefcake have a snooze."

"Oh you're just full of nicknames," Kati replies, rolling off the couch.

"Plenty more," Charlotte replies with a wink.

Sam smiles down at Nigel and then follows the two to the kitchen.

"Oh good, I was just going to come and get you guys," Violet smiles as Charlotte, Kati, and Sam walk in. "I want you all to meet Sheldon Wallace!"

"Hey man," Sam says, holding out his hand to shake. "Sam Bennett."

"Hi Sam," Sheldon smiles.

He has a pleasant face and a calm demeanour; Kati thinks he's probably an easy guy to talk to. Psychiatry must suit him.

"Oh!" Sheldon says, his face lighting up as though he remembers something. "Dr. Feelgood!"

"That and some other stuff," Sam chuckles. "Internal medicine, and cardio surgeon."

"And this is Charlotte Freedman. She's also chief of staff, over at St. Ambrose," Violet introduces.

"I was told of a Charlotte _King_," Sheldon says, shaking Charlotte's hand.

"Maiden name," Charlotte smiles.

"Ah," Sheldon nods. "I was also told you were a terrifying woman, not to be messed with."

"Well that part's true," Addison chimes in as she makes one of her weird green smoothies.

"Ha ha," Charlotte replies dryly, and turns to smile at Sheldon again. "I'm not that bad."

"Well you must be the youngest doctor I've ever seen," Sheldon says to Kati.

"You're not far off," Cooper says, passing a bottle of water to his wife. "Our Kati here has an IQ that blows everyone here outta the water."

"You don't say," Sheldon says, impressed. "You a Scrabble player, Kati?"

"She's a Scrabble _demon_," Addison corrects, eyeing Kati.

Kati just smiles, taking the offered hand. "I've been known to dabble," she replies.

Sheldon laughs.

"It's nice to meet you all," he nods. "I'm excited to be starting here."

"Don't say that yet," Violet says, teasing the others with a look. "Give it a week."

"I'm here! I'm here!"

A pretty young woman bursts into the kitchen.

"Aaaand this is our newest member of the practice, before you," Violet says. "Sheldon, Amelia Shepherd. Amelia, Sheldon."

Amelia holds out a hand and smiles. "Hey. You're the new shrink."

"That's me," Sheldon nods. "What's your specialty?"

"Well, I have lots," Amelia replies with a coy smile.

"Neuro," Addison replies loudly, shaking her head at Amelia.

The two have known each other for years, since Addison dated and then married Amelia's older brother, Derek, whom she's now divorced from.

"Amelia's fresh meat, as far as medicine goes," Addison goes on. "She only just finished her residency."

"_But _I've been around _here_ for like, 15 years," Amelia puts in, referring to the group of people.

"Fourteen," Cooper says.

"Whatever," Amelia shrugs.

She turns her attention to Kati, wrapping her up in a hug.

"How's my favourite 12-year-old?"

"Do you know many of them?" Kati asks, muffled by the hug. "I mean, you can't just choose a specific age group to love."

"What?" Amelia laughs, releasing her from the tight hug.

"Well, you can say you love _kids_, but you can't start saying, 'Y'know what, I really love 12-year-olds'," Kati explains. "Makes you sound like a pedophile."

Sheldon stares, surprised, but the others are used to Kati's sense of humour.

"Like I said," Cooper grins, kissing Kati's head and steering her to a seat. "An IQ that'll blow you outta the water."

Everyone settles down to have lunch and chat, and Sheldon gets to know the others.

They're in the middle of lunch when Anna, the receptionist, bursts into the kitchen.

"Dr. Freedman," she says nervously.

Charlotte and Cooper begin to move, but Anna corrects herself. "Sorry. I mean Cooper."

Cooper starts to follow Anna.

"They don't have a patient file, and I don't think they've ever even been here, but they asked for you specifically," Anna explains hurriedly.

They reach the front desk and, with everyone in the kitchen craning their necks to see, Cooper is faced with three young kids.

The oldest, a boy about Kati's age, is wearing a bulging jacket, and trying to hold onto his younger siblings, a boy and a girl who are about six and seven, respectively. They're standing behind him and he keeps one arm out, as though protecting them from the adults.

"Dr. Freedman?" the oldest boy asks.

All three children look terrified.

"Yes," Cooper says calmly, slowly moving forward as he tries to discern who is hurt.

Kati, peering out from the kitchen, suddenly widens her eyes.

"Oh my god," she breathes.

"What?" Addison and Charlotte ask, moving towards her and peering out.

"I know him," Kati says. "His name's Emmett. He goes to my school."

Out in the foyer, Emmett keeps his siblings behind him protectively.

"I heard that, um…I heard that you're a doctor. For kids," he manages.

"That's right," Cooper nods. "What can I help you with? Are you guys okay?"

Emmett glances near his shoulder. The two younger kids stare at Cooper with wide, scared eyes.

"It's not us," Emmett goes on.

He starts to move his other arm, and Cooper realizes that the bulging jacket isn't just the style. The boy is clutching a bundle. Slowly, he reveals a tiny baby, wrapping blankets.

Instinctively, Cooper moves forward and carefully takes the baby. Emmett hesitates, still holding onto the baby.

"It's okay," Cooper says calmly. "I just wanna make sure he's okay."

"She," Emmett says, deciding to relinquish his sister.

Cooper sets the baby on a seat in the waiting room.

Everyone from the kitchen has stepped out, standing in a little group about 20 feet away.

Kati starts to move forward, but Charlotte stops her.

"Just wait, baby," Charlotte says. "Let your daddy help first."

Kati chews her lip but obeys.

Cooper checks over the baby.

"Where's your mother? The baby's mother?"

Emmett averts his eyes, ashamed, but takes a breath and steps up.

"I don't know," he replies. "She just…she left."

Cooper frowns, turning back to the baby. "She's breathing, but it's weak. When was the last time she ate? She can't be more than a week or two old."

"She's a month old," Emmett replies. "I've tried to feed her milk but she won't drink it."

Cooper gathers up the baby. "Anna, I'm going to the hospital. Take care of these three, please. Addison!"

Addison is already hurrying over, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She and Cooper disappear into the elevator.

Charlotte, Violet, and Naomi move towards the children. Emmett looks around, still protecting his terrified siblings, and sees Kati. His face burns red with shame.

"Hey Emmett," Kati says softly, moving towards him.

"Hey," he replies, avoiding eye contact.

"What…happened?"

The little boy and girl reluctantly let themselves be led away, leaving Emmett with Kati.

"Nothing," Emmett says, watching his siblings go.

He looks at Kati again and chews his lip.

"My mom," Emmett decides to tell. "She left."

"Are you okay?"

Kati knows that Emmett's father is deployed, so there's no one else to take care of them. He only started at Kati's school a year ago, after moving from Rhode Island.

"The baby," Emmett gestures.

Kati can see that the boy is in shock, scared and trying to process everything.

"Come here," she says.

Slowly, Emmett follows her. She leads them into her mother's office. Nigel is still fast asleep.

She digs a tiny carton of orange juice out of the little mini fridge in the corner, and takes it to Emmett as he sits on the couch.

"Drink this," she orders gently.

Emmett numbly takes the carton and drinks a few sips.

"Is this your puppy?"

Kati nods, and Emmett begins to slowly pet Nigel.

After a few moments, he seems to be a bit less terrified.

"She just left," he says softly, staring at Nigel. "Tessa cries a lot. I woke up one morning for school and she was gone. Tessa was crying, and Jack and Josslyn were still asleep. She was just…gone."

Kati frowns, taking this in.

"How many days ago?" she asks carefully.

Emmett looks like he's in a daze. "Eleven," he replies, monotone.

Kati hides the shock she feels.

"That's why you've been gone," Kati says, more to herself.

"The first few days, I took her to this lady down the street. She watches kids sometimes. But then Tessa got sick, and the woman said she couldn't take care of her until she was better. I don't know what to do. I remembered that your dad was a doctor for kids and stuff."

Kati looks up as Violet approaches the door to Charlotte's office. Violet silently asks Kati if she can come in. Kati nods.

"Hey guys," Violet says softly, closing the door behind her. "How's the champion sleeper?"

"Doing what he does best," Kati manages a response, watching as Emmett pets Nigel.

Violet sits across from the them.

"Hi Emmett," Violet says. "I'm Kati's aunt Violet."

Emmett kind of looks at her, but seems to look through her.

He looks, Kati realizes, dead on his feet. He has purple bags under his brown eyes, he's pale, and he looks awful.

Knowing that Violet talks to people in private, Kati quietly gets up and leaves, just as Violet starts to talk again.

She wanders down the hall of offices. Her mother and Naomi are with Jack and Josslyn in Naomi's office. The scared children sit close together as Charlotte and Naomi check them over, taking their temperatures and everything.

Kati decides to go back to the kitchen, where Sheldon is.

"Is this a regular thing? Surprise emergency patients?" he asks.

Kati shakes her head. "Once in awhile, but not all the time."

Sheldon considers her. "Are you okay? You look a little shaken."

"He's in my grade," Kati replies.

"He must be pretty shaken up," Sheldon nods.

"Yeah," Kati mumbles. "He said his mom just left. He woke up one morning and she was gone. He's been taking care of the four of them for almost two weeks."

"Wow," Sheldon says, his brow raising for a moment. "That's a lot of responsibility for a kid."

"And a mother, it seems," Kati replies quietly.


End file.
